NHS staff on Covid-19 frontline deserve much more than the #clapforcarers – Alex Cole-Hamilton

Here are six practical ways to help NHS and social care workers amid the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, writes Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP.

Nicola Sturgeon shows her appreciation during the weekly tribute to NHS and other key workers throughout the coronavirus outbreak (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Like most people, I join the clap for carers on Thursday nights from my doorway until my hands are sore. I know, from NHS staff and other key workers I’m friendly with, that it is appreciated, so much. But it is hardly a just reward for what we are asking them to do.

I can’t imagine what it must be like in the Covid-19 treatment hubs, in intensive care units, in residential care homes or to provide care at home to someone who is Covid symptomatic. To work in one of the coronavirus ‘red zones’ in our health and social care sector is to run the gauntlet with a virus that can prove fatal to almost anyone, every single day.

As the virus continues to rage in our communities and the pressure on our health and care workers grows, there comes a point where we should start to feel that maybe clapping isn’t enough. That’s why this week the Scottish Liberal Democrats are launching a six-point plan to give our health and social care workers the recognition they deserve:

1. We need to ensure they are ­protected. Right now frontline health workers are concerned that stocks of personal protective equipment might run out, while residential and home care staff feel they are the last in line to get supplies. The Scottish Government needs to guarantee the supply chain for our hospitals and social care workers to ensure that they can tackle each shift with the fresh kit they need.

2. We need to make our care homes safer. Care home residents and staff are concerned at the devastating way the virus hits those residential settings. At the same time, we know that Scottish daily testing capacity for the virus is not being fully used.

We want to see a new regime to test people moving into care homes for the first time and for those coming back to them from a stay in hospital. This isn’t happening right now and both care workers and residents are put at undue risk as a result.

3. In January, before the virus even hit, research from the Scottish Liberal Democrats showed 45 million days have been lost in the NHS because of staff mental ill health. The stress was always bad, but it must be unbearable for those workers facing trauma and death every day.

A new, dedicated staff mental health helpline for health and social care workers, which gets them straight to a trauma-informed ­therapist is needed urgently.

4. Military service personnel receive a deployment allowance of £29 per day on active duty in addition to their normal pay. We believe the same principle should apply to NHS and care staff putting themselves in harm’s way during the coronavirus epidemic. Care workers, in particular, aren’t paid enough to begin with, so it’s time we recognise the efforts of these workers in financial terms.

5. We need to recognise the sacrifice that some workers might end up making. The NHS has a ‘death in service’ scheme – but it’s not as generous as the military’s and many key workers on the coronavirus front line aren’t eligible. Ministers must ensure every NHS and care worker becomes eligible so they know their families will be supported.

Ministers should also agree to pay for all the funerals of key ­workers who die trying to protect others from Covid-19. This is a dark topic to discuss but that doesn’t mean the Government should shy away from having this conversation.

6. Key workers on the coronavirus frontline should get recognition for the risks they have faced, with a new Coronavirus Service Medal. They are playing a major role to keep our country safe and it should be properly and formally recognised.

I will take this plan to ministers in the coming days and hope that I find myself pushing on an open door because everyone agrees that our key workers in this crisis represent the backbone of our nation right now.

We could be doing so much more than clapping to reward them.

Alex Cole-Hamilton is the Lib Dem MSP for Edinburgh Western.